Monday, April 20, 2009

Wedding Scents

A wedding is, among other things, a symphony of scents. From the bridal flowers, to the sweet-smelling soaps or aromatic coffee beans for the souvenirs, to the ambrosial reception food, you have the power to delight your guests' olfactories.

With all that picture-taking, hugs and kisses of congratulations for hours, what does a girl wear on her skin that exudes a "bridal fragrance?"

You may opt to use your signature scent or whatever perfume brand you currently wear but if I may suggest, you may want to wear a scent that will last longer than your day cologne. And since it's your wedding day, why not put on something new for your special day? Of course, it goes without saying that your groom should like your new scent from the time he holds your hand as your parents turn you over to him at the altar until your honeymoon night. (wink!)

Shown above is Falling in love, available at Beauty Bar. This scent reminds me of cotton candy so if you're a fun-loving kind of bride, this might be the scent for you. I'm also crazy about the descriptions on the Philosophy line of products. If only for the creative copy, I'd buy the entire line. :-)

Above, the lyrical description of the top notes (The Flirtation), middle notes (The Kiss), and the base notes (The Embrace) of Vera Wang's Sheer Veil perfume. For perfume-jargon idiots like myself, top notes are the fragance oils in the perfume that you smell first, the same ones that evaporate the fastest in approximately 1-2 hours after you spray. The middle notes are the oils that comprise the core or heart of the perfume, providing the fullness of the perfume's composition and may linger for 3-4 hours. The base notes are the least volatile, thereby having the most enduring aroma, so it's important for you to really like the base notes because these will stay with you the longest.

It really is also important that you test the fragrance also on your own skin before buying the perfume to find out if the scent is compatible with your body chemistry. What smells good when sprayed on paper or on someone may not necessarily agree with your body.

Other perfumes you might want to "veil" yourself with on your special day are Estee Lauder's line (Beautiful, Pleasures, White Linen), Vera Wang's Bouquet and Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely. Obviously, for the wedding, I'm partial to brand names that are wedding-related too. :-)